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Remarks of A. James McDonald before the American Legion Post at Clayton, New Mexico - December 22, 1919

[page 1] REMARK S OF A. JAMES McDONALD, MADE MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1919, BEFORE THE AMERICAN LEGION POST CLAYTON, NEW MEXICO. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 1. I have written these remarks so that I cannot well be accused of saying something I did not say, because misrepresentation of what I have said is the very thing that has caused the misunderstanding in this case. 2. I want to thank the Clayton Post of the American Legion for the opportunity to come here and make these remarks; and especially I want to thank the committee that waited on me Saturday, December 13, 1919, and which has reported to this post. I appreciated the kindly personal attitude of the members of the committee, and I am confident that it reflected the attitude of a large majority of the members of the Post. 3. I have not come here because I felt any obligation to come, and I presume that you do not claim any authority to compel me to come. I have come voluntarily in accordance with an offer I made to your committee and the invitation you extended to me, for the sole purpose of clearing up what seems to be a misunderstanding regarding my attitude toward certain questions of public interest, and I am glad to have this occasion and opportunity to tell you my attitude fully and clearly. I may add that misunderstanding always causes more trouble than differences of opinion cause. 4. The immediate cause of misunderstanding in this case was the presentation to me some weeks ago by Mr. Simon Herzstein, at the conclusion of a Rotary club luncheon in the Eklund Hotel dining room, of a poster or placard, and my declining led to an argument in the hotel lobby, in the course of which I stated to Mr. Herzstein and several others my reasons for declining. 5. When the matter was brought to the attention of the Clayton Post of the American Legion, and a committee composed of Dr. S. M. Edmondson, John Hill and L. M. Walker was selected to take up the matter with me, I told the committee that for the reasons stated and other reasons I still could not see my way clear to sign and hang up the poster. I shall now state to you why. 6. The poster contains the words “don’t denounce our country, our form of government, our institutions.” I have never denounced our country or our form of government, but on the contrary have strongly upheld them whenever the occasion arose. If the writer of that placard had in mind the profit system as one of “our institutions,” then I have denounced it, denounce it now, and shall continue to denounce it on every reasonable occasion. In denouncing it and advocating its discontinuance, I have never advocated the use of any but peaceful, legal, orderly means. On the contrary, my every effort has been to bring about a condition of affairs that would make it possible to secure reforms and changes in our government and in our system of industry and commerce by peaceful, legal, orderly means, and not by force and violence. 7. Next in order come the words, on the card, “You cannot follow

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[page 1] REMARK S OF A. JAMES McDONALD, MADE MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1919, BEFORE THE AMERICAN LEGION POST CLAYTON, NEW MEXICO. Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 1. I have written these remarks so that I cannot well be accused of saying something I did not say, because misrepresentation of what I have said is the very thing that has caused the misunderstanding in this case. 2. I want to thank the Clayton Post of the American Legion for the opportunity to come here and make these remarks; and especially I want to thank the committee that waited on me Saturday, December 13, 1919, and which has reported to this post. I appreciated the kindly personal attitude of the members of the committee, and I am confident that it reflected the attitude of a large majority of the members of the Post. 3. I have not come here because I felt any obligation to come, and I presume that you do not claim any authority to compel me to come. I have come voluntarily in accordance with an offer I made to your committee and the invitation you extended to me, for the sole purpose of clearing up what seems to be a misunderstanding regarding my attitude toward certain questions of public interest, and I am glad to have this occasion and opportunity to tell you my attitude fully and clearly. I may add that misunderstanding always causes more trouble than differences of opinion cause. 4. The immediate cause of misunderstanding in this case was the presentation to me some weeks ago by Mr. Simon Herzstein, at the conclusion of a Rotary club luncheon in the Eklund Hotel dining room, of a poster or placard, and my declining led to an argument in the hotel lobby, in the course of which I stated to Mr. Herzstein and several others my reasons for declining. 5. When the matter was brought to the attention of the Clayton Post of the American Legion, and a committee composed of Dr. S. M. Edmondson, John Hill and L. M. Walker was selected to take up the matter with me, I told the committee that for the reasons stated and other reasons I still could not see my way clear to sign and hang up the poster. I shall now state to you why. 6. The poster contains the words “don’t denounce our country, our form of government, our institutions.” I have never denounced our country or our form of government, but on the contrary have strongly upheld them whenever the occasion arose. If the writer of that placard had in mind the profit system as one of “our institutions,” then I have denounced it, denounce it now, and shall continue to denounce it on every reasonable occasion. In denouncing it and advocating its discontinuance, I have never advocated the use of any but peaceful, legal, orderly means. On the contrary, my every effort has been to bring about a condition of affairs that would make it possible to secure reforms and changes in our government and in our system of industry and commerce by peaceful, legal, orderly means, and not by force and violence. 7. Next in order come the words, on the card, “You cannot follow